Faculty

David Legg, PhD

Academic Title: Professor 

Education
PhD, University of Alberta
MHK, University of Windsor
BPE, McMaster University

Contact Information
Email: dlegg@mtroyal.ca
Phone: 403.440.6495 

 

David Legg is Professor of Sport Management and Adapted Physical Activity at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada. Dr. Legg has also been a visiting or adjunct scholar at seven other Universities around the globe. His research centres on the Paralympic movement and primarily the legacy of the Games. 

As a volunteer David has served as President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, board member for the 2015 Pan Parapan American Games in Toronto, the International Paralympic Committee’s Sport Science Committee, and as President of the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity. He is currently the Founder and Chair of the Calgary Adapted Hub Powered by Jumpstart, a board member for Commonwealth Sport Canada,  board member for the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and incoming Chair of the Calgary Sport and Major Event Committee. As a consultant, David worked with the Calgary BidCo for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2030 Alberta Commonwealth Games bid and with Hockey Canada and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation.

In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Legg has received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award, King Clancy Award from the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons, and Gary McPherson Leadership Award from the Province of Alberta. David has also been named to Calgary's Top 40/40 and been inducted into Alberta's Sports Hall of Fame. 

Area of Instruction
  • Sport Management
  • Adapted Physical Activity

Areas of Scholarship

  • Sport Management
  • Paralympic Sport
  • Games Legacy

Selected Publications

Misener, L., McPherson, G., McGillivray, D. & Legg, D. (2019). Leveraging Disability Sport Events: Impacts, Promises, and Possibilities, Routledge.

Legg, D. & K. Gilbert (2011). Paralympic Legacies, Commonground Publishing, Illinois, USA

Legg, D., Misener, L & Fay, T. (2019) Olympic and Paralympic Sport. In M. Li, G. Bravo, & E. MacIntosh (Eds.), International Sport Management. (2nd Ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Legg, D. (2018). Paralympic Games: History and Legacy of a Global Movement, Special Issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America on Para and Adapted Sports Medicine, Eds Drs. Y. A. Tuakli-Wosornu & W. Derman.

Gerard, S., Legg, D. & Zintz, T. (2019). The governance of the Paralympic Movement: An Institutional Perspective, In Winand, M. & Anagnostopolous, C., Chapter 12, Research Handbook on Sport Governance, Alger.

Selected Presentations

Legg, D. (2019). Sport for Persons with Disabilities: from Selection and Inclusion to Optimal Performance, Keynote Presentation at the Khorfakan International Conference for Persons with Disability and Adapted Physical Education, Sharjah, UAE.

Legg, D. (2019). The future of Paralympic Sport, Keynote Address at the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity Symposium, University of Virginia.

Legg, D. (2018). The IPC and UN Creating a Better Future, Korean Paralympic Committee Forum, Gangneung, Korea.

Su Jung, K., Legg, D., Tajima, H. & Chappelet, J. (2017). The Conceptualisation of Medical and Health Legacies, 26th Japan Disability Sports Conference, Tokyo.

Legg, D., Panikowiak, A., & Higgs, C. (2016). Understanding the Para Sport Athlete Pathway: Focus on Participation, Presentation at the International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport Conference, Santos, Brazil.

Relevant Community Service

  • President, International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity
  • Past President, Canadian Paralympic Committee
  • Board Member, Toronto 2015 Pan Parapan American Games
  • Leadership Team, Canadian Sport for Life
  • Consultant, Bidco for Calgary 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games

 

Link to professional website